Aristotle
Character Analysis

A famous ancient Greek philosopher, cited many times by Jay Heinrichs in the book. Aristotle was one of the founders of the art of rhetoric, and divided rhetoric into three forms of argumentation (forensic, deliberative, and demonstrative), in which speakers could use three methods of persuasion (logos, ethos, and pathos).

Aristotle Quotes in Thank You for Arguing

The Thank You for Arguing quotes below are all either spoken by Aristotle or refer to Aristotle. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

).
Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Three Rivers Press edition of Thank You for Arguing published in 2013.

Chapter 12
Quotes

Suddenly, an intractable, emotional, values-laden issue like abortion begins to look politically arguable. Making abortions rare is to the nation's advantage, as Aristotle would say. Now, what are the most effective (and politically popular) ways to make abortions rare? The answers might give the extremes of both sides a lot to swallow; on the left, pro-choicers would have to agree that abortion is a repugnant form of contraception. On the right, pro-lifers would have to allow some abortions.

The old expression “There’s virtue in moderation” comes straight from Aristotle. Virtue is a state of character, concerned with choice, lying in a mean. When moderates face scorn from the faithful of both parties, what does that make our country? You can do your bit for democracy, and your own sanity, with this prefab reply:I know reasonable people who hold that opinion. So who’s the extremist?

Aristotle Character Timeline in Thank You for Arguing

The timeline below shows where the character Aristotle appears in Thank You for Arguing. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Chapter 1: Open Your Eyes: The Invisible Argument

...rhetorician can bring his audience to a consensus—in other words, agreement with the rhetorician. Even Aristotle, one of history’s greatest logicians, understood that rhetoricians need to use seduction and appeals to...
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Chapter 3: Control the Tense: Orphan Annie’s Law

According to Aristotle, there are three kinds of arguments: 1) blame, 2) values, and 3) choice. Imagine, Heinrichs...
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Aristotle also argued that each of the three kinds of argument corresponds to a different tense:...
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Chapter 4: Soften Them Up: Character, Logic, Emotion

Aristotle wrote that there are three ways to persuade: 1) argument by character, or ethos, 2)...
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...gets away with everything. Ethos is often criticized for being cheap and illogical, but even Aristotle recognized that it’s necessary for winning most arguments.
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Chapter 6: Make Them Listen: The Lincoln Gambit

...helps an audience remain attentive to a speaker and encourages them to trust the speaker. Aristotle wrote that people should be able to trust a rhetorician’s judgment as well as the...
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Chapter 9: Control the Mood: The Aquinas Maneuver

...technique, however, is that it doesn’t always persuade people to act—they laugh, but do nothing. Aristotle argued that emotions such as love and compassion are better motivators than humor.
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...with a group, or “emulate.” The best way to make a crowd angry with someone, Aristotle argued, was to show how that person had ignored and belittled their desires. Aristotle also...
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The appeals to pathos that Aristotle discussed have one thing in common: they work best in a group setting. It’s also...
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Chapter 16: Know Whom to Trust: Persuasion Detectors

The second aspect of ethos is virtue. Aristotle defined virtue as “a state of character, concerned with choice, lying in the mean.” In...
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Aristotle famously said, “There is virtue in moderation.” However, in modern times, moderate people are often...
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Chapter 17: Find the Sweet Spot: More Persuasion Detectors

In the last chapter, Heinrichs talked about Aristotle’s definition of virtue: a state of character, concerned with choice, lying in the mean. Much...
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Chapter 28: Run an Agreeable Country: Rhetoric’s Revival

Aristotle argued that virtue is “a matter of character, concerned with choice, lying in a mean.”...
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